[Reader-list] we owe 15 years to kashmir

[Vedavati Jogi]

15 saal ka hisaab
baaki hai.

wonderful!

I think, kashmiri pandits should also tell the same thing to Indian govt. as 
well as kashmiris  like that tourist  guide. Because the former are the 
worst hit. They lost their homes, their property, their near & dear ones and 
most importantly, their 'future'.

I will not dare to ask anybody 'are you listening?'

I know it is falling on deaf ear!

Talking about Kashmiri Hindu's plight means spoiling one's secular 
credetials...nobody will do that.


Vedavati


>From: mamta mantri <bawree at yahoo.com>
>To: reader-list at sarai.net, readerlist at sarai.et
>Subject: [Reader-list] we owe 15 years to kashmir
>Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2007 00:00:17 -0700 (PDT)
>
>Kashmir magnificently holds its epithet of the ‘Heaven
>on Earth’ in the barrenness of the winter, is the
>impression that I took home when I visited Srinagar
>and Gulmarg in February. After passing through the
>Jawahar tunnel, my first glimpse of snow and snow clad
>mountains were a marvel, since I had never seen snow
>in my life time.
>Well, scenic beauty apart, I was keen to explore the
>other facets of Kashmir, of the turmoil that the
>‘Kashmiris’ faced, and the same old story. Anyways,
>every story was what we have heard in the popular
>lore. But want to write what I found more striking.
>Fed on the Nehruvian concept of India, I always
>thought and felt that Kashmir was always a part of
>India, in spite of its geographical and cultural
>differences. But the first thing that you become aware
>of there, is that we are ‘Indians’ and they are
>‘Kashmiris’. India is a land of plenty (population, in
>this context), and Indians are good for them as
>tourists, since the Kashmiri economy thrives on
>tourism. So it is better that way. Indians must come
>as tourists and spend money in all possible
>forms(house boats, guides, cars, sledges, skiing,
>shopping, and pay tips to all of them, in the bargain)
>and go back home with pleasant memories. The most that
>I remembered of Kashmir was the bargaining with every
>possible person I interacted with. The best was a
>conversation with a tourist guide in Gulmarg. While
>bargaining for a tip, he made a passing comment, which
>kept growing in me for quite some time. He said (to
>the effect), “Kashmir was closed for tourism for the
>past 18-20 years. Now that things are better, India
>owes all those years to Kashmir. 15 saal ka hisaab
>baaki hai.” I reacted instantly, “Will you take all of
>that from me? How is the onus on me? For God’s sake, I
>am a tourist wanting to enjoy the natural beauty of
>the valley. Poor me!!!”
>The statement has larger dimensions. Apart from the
>burdens of the taxes, heavy traffic, pollution, high
>disparity between rich and poor, poor health care
>facilities, and the never ending list of woes, which
>we shoulder as Indians, the debt of Kashmir is also on
>us. Is the government listening ( a clichéd question,
>perhaps, but want to still ask it?)
>
>
>
>
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